Volume 23, Number 10: October 2022

IAHPC Course on Symptoms Other Than Pain: Delirium & GI modules are next

By the time this issue of the newsletter goes to press, the third module of the IAHPC Comprehensive Symptom Assessment and Management Course will be imminent. On October 11, members can listen live to the module on delirium, as well as access recordings of the first two modules: an introduction to symptom assessment, and fatigue.

This course, which focuses on symptoms other than pain, continues with one module per week:

• October 18: Gastrointestinal Intestinal Symptoms Module 1: Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome
• October 25: Gastrointestinal Intestinal Symptoms Module 2: Constipation, Diarrhea, Malignant Bowel Obstruction, and Oral Symptoms
• November 1: Dyspnea, Cough, and Death Rattle
• November 8: Insomnia
• November 15: Psychological Distress

IAHPC members from any discipline are welcome to take the course; it is designed to be particularly beneficial for pharmacists, physicians, psychologists, social workers, and nurses. All modules, which last about one hour each, begin at 7 a.m. Central Standard Time; all are being recorded.

The course is free to members, who can simply register to participate. Not a member? Join IAHPC for access to this course as well as courses on how to assess and manage pain, advocacy, and many other benefits (click on What We Do).

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IAHPC Achieves Platinum Rating

The International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care has earned a Platinum Seal of Transparency, a rating that reflects a high level of public access to information regarding the organization, by Candid (formerly GuideStar).

A Platinum rating is awarded to those that provide basic information about their organization, are transparent about finances, announce goals and strategies publicly, and openly share quantitative measures of both progress and results.

See details that support IAHPC’s rating (signing up, for free, is required).

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IAHPC Scholars Named to Latin American Congress

The IAHPC is pleased to announce the winners of scholarships to the X Congress of the Latin American Association for Palliative Care, taking place November 8-12 in San José, Costa Rica:

• Nineth C. Baltodano Algaba is a palliative care physician from Barrio Altagracia, Nicaragua.
• Mercedes Bernada is a pediatric physician in Montevideo, Uruguay, affiliated with the Republic University School of Medicine.
• Rafael Ernesto Cerna Peña is a post-graduate student from Santa Tecla, El Salvador, at Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
• Dany Alexander Coca Zapata is a psychologist with Fundacion Hondureña para el niño con cancer in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
• Lorena Patricia Etcheverry is a psychologist in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Ancu Tatiana Feng Escobar is a palliative care physician in San Salvador, El Salvador, with Hospice La Cima.
• Alexandra Tatiana Fernández Dávila is a physician of internal medicine in Quito, Ecuador.
• Alicia Krikorian Daveloza is a psychologist at the Instituto de Cancerologia living in Medellín, Colombia.
• Lucía Guadalupe Martínez Cañas is a physician at Hospice la Cima, San Salvador, El Salvador.
• Rafael Martinez Sanchez is a physician in Leon, Mexico, affiliated with Universidad de Guanajato.
• Cecilia Elizabeth Menjivar Deras is a palliative care nurse in San Salvador, El Salvador.
• Marco Antonio Rodríguez is psycho-oncologist in San Salvador, El Salvador.
• Victor Rolando Samayoa Morales is a palliative care doctor in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Due to limited funding, the IAHPC could not afford to grant scholarships to all of the individuals who applied to attend the congress. If you would like to support the participation of Latin American palliative care workers to this event, please consider donating to the IAHPC Scholars program.

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Recipients of McGill Congress Online Access

The IAHPC is grateful to McGill University for sponsoring 10 IAHPC members as participants for the online portion of the McGill International Palliative Care Congress, being held October 18-21 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The recipients have been selected.

• Hashmath Farhaana, from Thiruvananthapuran, India, is a palliative physician at the Institute of Palliative Medicine, Kerala.
• Jessica Geiger is a palliative care pharmacist at OhioHealth in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
• Kathleen Grimm is director of Supportive Care & Palliative Care at ECMC in Buffalo, New York, USA.
• Kristine Kowalski, from San Marcos, California, USA, is palliative care coordinator at Providence-Mission Hospital.
• Denis Opio, from Luerro, Uganda, is a palliative physician at the Palliative Care Association of Uganda.
• Amir Radfar, from Encino, California, USA, is director of research at the Avicenna Medical and Clinical Research Institute.
• Regine Roche, from Petionville, Haiti, is a palliative physician at HUEH (State Hospital of Haiti) in Port-au-Prince.
• Justin Woods, from Spokane, Washington, USA, is a palliative physician at Providence.
• Paolo Zizzo is a medical director at Hospice of the North Coast in Carlsbad, California, USA.
• Gregorio Zúñiga Villanueva is an assistant professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Of special note: The McGill International Palliative Care Congress online access rate has been slashed to $200 for anyone from a low- or middle-income country as defined in this list. To register, select "Developing Country" in the “Registration Type” dropdown menu.

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Date to note

October 31 is the deadline to share your views on assisted dying practices for an IAHPC member survey. A reminder to access the survey was sent to members on October 7. Responses will be used in research for an upcoming special issue of the IAHPC Newsletter and may also be used for an article in a peer-reviewed journal.

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Tidbits

Special Issue: Palliative Care in the Eastern Mediterranean

In August, the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal published a special issue on palliative care. The journal, a product of the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, is part of the larger activities of the WHO’s Palliative Care Regional Expert Network. The office was established in 2019 with the mandate of creating a roadmap for the development of palliative care in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

The launch of the print version of this special issue coincides with the annual regional committee meeting in October in Cairo. A side event on “Strengthening Palliative Care in the Eastern Mediterranean” includes a 3 1/2-minute animated film to increase awareness and reduce misconceptions about palliative care.

Virtual Research Library Helps Lower-Income Countries

The Virtual Research Library is an electronic collection of research-related resources to build research capacity in Nepal as well as other lower-income countries. It provides open-access resources and tools that support clinical research, with a particular focus on mobile health and noncommunicable diseases. The library is a collaboration between the Nepalese Association of Palliative Care, University of Virginia School of Nursing, and Center for Global Health.

E-course on Care in Humanitarian Settings

Children's Palliative Care in Humanitarian Settings is a new e-learning course created jointly by the International Children’s Palliative Care Network and PallCHASE, available here by setting up a free account. The four-module course provides an overview of palliative care practices in settings such as conflict and war, natural disasters, crises, and emergencies.

Hosts Sought for Screenings of Conquering Cancer

Australia’s Moonshine Agency is seeking organizations in Egypt, Tanzania, Libya, and Morocco that may be interested in hosting screenings of its recently released film about the elimination of cervical cancer, Conquering Cancer. A small grants program is available to help to cover the costs of running events in Africa to raise awareness and advocate for greater commitment to the World Health Organization targets. Interested? Contact [email protected]

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What’s New in the Calendar

New listings

Access all items in the IAHPC Calendar of Events.

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